The Attack
by Cheyennes
Summary: Henry has been alive for a long time and has made some enemies along the way. Vicki is the perfect tool to make sure he pays for that.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own any of the characters involved in the series Blood Ties. Also, this is my very first attempt at Fan Fic so please be constructive with your comments.

The Attack

Thursday

Mike entered his apartment feeling more weary than he had in a very long time. As he loosened the knot on his tie, he thought about the last two days. Vicki had disappeared late Tuesday evening and there hadn't been any sign of her since. Henry had arrived to find her office door open. Two chairs had been laying on their sides and papers, presumably from her desk, were tossed around on the floor. Her asp had been found in the corner fully extended. Shortly after this discover, Henry had called him. He had been reassured that there was no blood in her office. Since Henry was the expect on all matters blood related, Mike felt confident taking his word for it. Pulling in some favors, he had Vicki's office fully dusted for fingerprints less than three hours after the discovery. Unfortunately, there were no unexpected prints at the scene so that didn't help with the investigation.

He, Henry, and many members of the Force, had searched for Vicki nonstop without any success. It wasn't until several comments from his coworkers, about his appearance, that he had decided to make this quick detour. He knew that a shower, a shave, and an hour or so of sleep, would give him the strength to continue the search. Henry, forced by daylight to retire earlier in the day, would rejoin him at dusk. Since that was only about an hour away, Mike focused on making his way to his bedroom to grab some sleep. His tie slipped from between his fingers and landed on the floor. Not a messy person by nature, he leaned down and quickly scooped it up. During that motion he noticed marks on the hardwood floor that hadn't been there two days previously. Touching the sticky liquid left him with stains on his fingers that he quickly recognized as drying blood. Being a homicide detective made him familiar with blood in all of it's forms. Pulling his gun from it's holster, he straightened and his eyes quickly followed what he now realized was a spotty trail of blood. There was only a drop here and a drop there which is why he hadn't noticed it when he first arrived. He slowly made his way into the bedroom with cautious strides. He quickly noticed the stained, torn clothes that were tossed in a pile in front of his closet. He recognized them as Vicki's. More spots of blood stained the front of the painted white wood on the bifold doors of the closet. On the floor to the left of the closet, he saw the small gun safe where he kept a backup revolver. It was open and the small gun was missing. Mike gently eased open the right closet door. His first glance confirmed that he wouldn't be needed his gun. He quietly put on the safety and returned it to it's holster. Crouching down he looked at the small figure curled on the closet door. Sliding the left door open, he was able to get a better view. She had changed into one of his shirts and was resting on a pile of others. In fact, there were only a couple of shirts remaining on their hangers. While awake her personality made her seem so strong and self-assured. Now in her rest, he was reminded just how slender and delicate she really was. Not that he would ever even tell her that thought had crossed his mind. Her face was hidden by the fall of her hair, and her glasses were crushed on the floor. Her left hand held his gun while her right was curled under her cheek. Reaching forward, he slowly slid the gun fom her grip and put it aside.


	2. Chapter 2

It took me a while to figure out how to get another chapter added to this story but here it is. To repeat my previous statement, I do not own any of these characters.

"Vicki," he called gently.

At the same time, he pushed her hair over her shoulder to get a better view of her face. His chest actually hurt when he saw the damage. Dried blood lightly coated her nose and mouth. Her left eye was swollen as was the left side of her mouth. Unattractive shades of black, brown, and yellow bruising was visible on her face and hands. The collar of his once white shirt was brown with a substantial amount of her dried blood. Cursing himself, he realized she had been here for some time. He wished his need for a shave and a shower had driven him home sooner.

"Vicki," he said a bit louder while gently touching her shoulder.

When her only response was a retreating flinch, he dropped to his knees and decided a more detailed assessment was needed. Pulling the collar away from her neck, he noted the deep puncture wounds. They looked as terrible as any special effects job in a horror movie. Once again, Henry was clearly to blame for the mess Vicki's life had become. He was certain that her knowledge of what Henry was had led her to this point: broken and beaten on the floor of his closet. Probably looking for safety and comfort, though she would be loathe to admit it when awake.

He gently rolled her from her right side onto her back and did a brief medical exam. He found another set of puncture wounds on her right wrist and plenty of defensive wounds on her hands and forearms. He could tell she hadn't given up without a fight. Not that he would have expected anything less. No broken bones were felt but he admitted to himself that he was only trained for basic first aid. She definitely needed medical care but he had no idea how to explain her condition. What was he going to say? She fell on a BBQ fork numerous times? Totally unbelievable which would lead to more questions with answers he couldn't provide.

For the moment he focused on what he could do. Sliding his left arm under her neck and the right under her knees he smoothly lifted her and walked to the bed. The covers were still rumpled from his restless sleep two days ago, it didn't take much maneuvering before she was on the mattress and covered with a layer of blankets. Once he assured she was resting as comfortably as possible, he stepped out into the living room. Grabbing his cell phone, he flipped it open and dialed the number he had recently been given. The one to Henry's penthouse. He left a brief message that he had found Vicki and provided his address. Shaking his head, he realized that only for Vicki would he have given that information to the vampire. Up until now they had always met on a more neutral territory, like Vicki's office. Looked like tonight was going to be the night that changed.

He returned to his bedroom and noticed that Vicki had begun to shiver in the bed. A quick trip was made to his bedroom closet to pull out the electric blanket he used on the worst nights of winter. Laying it on top of all the other blankets, he cranked it up to maximum heat. Grabbing his cell phone again, he called the only doctor he knew that might be willing to handle a situation like this.


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Note: With the holidays coming, my schedule is a bit crazy which might delay new chapters. Here's chapter 3 and I hope you enjoy it.

He grabbed a chair and pulled it close to where Vicki was laying on the bed. As he sat down, he slid his hand under the blanket and entwined his fingers with her smaller ones. He was encouraged when her hand tightened on his and she moved slightly to curl her body around their joined hands. If he hadn't been expecting company, he would have climbed onto the bed next to her. Holding her close would have soothed his nerves and provided her with some much needed warmth. Instead he just leaned closer and spoke to her in a quiet voice.

"When you do things, you sure don't do them halfway, do you? You know, when you left the department I actually thought you might settle into a nice quiet civilian life. Proof that I never totally understood you and how you think."

He kissed her unbruised cheek thinking off all the cases they had worked together. He missed having her around the station to bounce ideas off of. Actually, he missed working closely with her in general. She had been at the station plenty on her own bizarre cases, but it wasn't the same.

Time passed as he reminisced about their past and before long there was a firm knock on his front door. Leaving Vicki sleeping in his bed, he walked into the living room to let in his unwanted visitor. He reluctantly allowed him entrance and watched as Henry's gaze searched his apartment. Mike provided a quick summary.

"She's in the bedroom suffering from what appears to be severe blood loss and defensive wounds. Dr. Mohadevan is on her way and said she would bring what is needed. So far Vicki hasn't regained consciousness, so I know no more now that I did when I left that message for you."

Henry followed him into the bedroom and Mike turned just in time to have the pleasure of watching Henry pale further than his normal complexion. He stood aside as the man . . . vampire leaned over and kissed Vicki's cheek as he had done earlier. Jealously briefly flared in him at this sign of their relationship. He returned to the chair by the bed as he watched Henry push aside the blankets and examine her in the same way he had earlier.

"These are vampire bites as you believed. But they are so much deeper than needed to draw sustenance. These bites were inflicted to cause as much pain as possible."

Mike wearily responded as he ran his hands through his hair,

"There have been plenty of times I wish she had never met you Fitzroy, but this one tops them all. Who is going to wake up in that bed? The same person who we both talked to two nights ago? The same drive and spunk? Or someone else entirely?"

Silence filled the room before Henry opted to reply,

"We won't know until she wakes. I, for one, would prefer that she stay as she is until Dr. Mohadevan's exam is done. We can deal with everything else later."


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Thanks for the good reviews. It's nice to know someone is actually reading this and looking forward to seeing how the story will end.

Dr. Mohadevan's arrival was greeted warmly by both men. In fact, she was surprised by the desperation she sensed in them both. Neither man was the type to over-react. She briefly wondered if Vicki's condition was worse than she had speculated.

"Show me where my patient is and please bring in the rest of my supplies. The cab driver brought them as far as the door but that's as far as he was willing to go."

While Mike was showing her where Vicki was resting, Henry quickly retrieved all of the supplies she had lined up in the hall. He sincerely hoped she wouldn't be needing everything she had brought.

By the time he had stacked everything in the bedroom, she was taking her patient's pulse but shaking her head slightly at the same time. When she looked up she almost knocked the top of her head into Mike's chin. He was hovering and Henry was only slightly better. It was clear these men would be more hindrance than help.

"Both of you outside until I'm done. I'm going to need some time to examine her properly and having you hover is just going to slow the process down. I'll tell you everything I find, but I want my patient. . . Vicki, to have some privacy while I do this. My normal patients don't care, but then they're dead. I think Vicki may care greatly about being seen in this vulnerable state."

Both men grudgingly left. However, she fully expected that they would be poking their heads into the room on a regular basis.

The exam was thorough and took more than an hour with only three interruptions from the anxious men. Minutes into the exam she realized exactly why she was here and why Vicki was not in the hospital. The puncture wounds were suspiciously placed and would have created numerous questions. The tattoo on her wrists, which she noticed was a weird design, had been joined by a burn on her lower back. It was recently placed, not cared for, and as a result, it was now infected.

After completing the exam, she took the time to clean Vicki up with a warm wash cloth. Once the dried blood was removed, she changed her into a soft flannel shirt she had found on the closet floor. She started the blood transfusion, antibiotics, and fluids which she had brought as part of her medical arsenal. An IV pole was quickly screwed together to hold everything securely in place. She tucked Vicki back under the covers and turned the light down to it's lowest setting. Peace and quiet would go a long way towards helping her heal.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and found herself face to face with both Henry and Mike. She removed her latex gloves and brought them up to speed on her findings.

"Her worst injury is the blood loss. That's causing the very low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and making it difficult for her to thermo-regulate. The blood transfusion I just started should help resolve some of those problems, but she'll probably need an additional two units of blood. They'll need to be infused slowly to give her body time to adjust. I don't expect that we'll see a great amount of improvement in her condition until sometime tomorrow."

"What are the other injuries?" Mike asked.

"You already saw the defensive wounds which I treated and bandaged. She also has a wound on the back of her head. As a coroner, I would say she was hit from behind with something to render her unconscious. The most interesting injury is a recently inflicted burn on her back. I made a sketch of the pattern for you to look at."

As Mike reached for the drawing, Henry used his supernatural speed to snatch it away. It didn't take long before he tossed it to the floor and disappeared from Mike's apartment.

"I take it he recognizes it," Dr. Mohadavan commented.

"It sure looks like it doesn't it. If nothing else it keeps him out of my hair for a while," Mike replied.

"Well, you may wish he stayed around to help. Vicki is going to need round the clock care for a bit. I'm thinking you two are the only ones around to provide it."

"There is someone else who will be able to help, her administrative assistant Coreen. I left her a message that Vicki was found and I expect her to show up as soon as she gets it."

"That's good because I imagine it's going to be a challenge to keep Vicki in that bed. She's going to be weak, but she doesn't strike me as the type of person who will be a good patient. She's an investigator at heart and she's going to want to go after the person that did this to her."

"Speaking of that, did she say anything to you? I got some small noises but nothing more," Mike said.

"She fought me a little bit during the exam but didn't open her eyes or say anything. I think she thought I might be trying to hurt her. When she realized I wasn't, she drifted back off."

A few minute passed while she packed up the remaining medical supplies that she had not needed,

"I'll be back in about eight hours to check on her and start the next unit of blood. You know where to reach me if her condition changes in a negative way."

Mike escorted her to the door and thanked her for all of her help. Once she was gone, he leaned his back against the closed door and took a weary breath. He also decided to grab the quick shower and nap he had been planning on before he had found Vicki. Once Vicki awoke he might not have the opportunity to do either.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: This is a really short chapter due to technical difficulties. I've also posted chapter 6 which was initially part of this chapter until the aforementioned difficulties.

Henry had spent the night hunting his enemy without any success at all. It was frustrating in the extreme as he wanted this matter resolved before Vicki was alert again. He really wanted to be able to say,

"I took care of everything. There is no more danger to you or any of my friends."

Unfortunately, it wasn't looking like that's the way things were going to play out. He hadn't seen, or even thought, of Phillipe in a few centuries but the brand on Vicki's back was his work. He was also fairly certain Phillipe wouldn't be happy until she was dead, and he was suffering. While she stayed at Mike's, she would be fairly safe. However, keeping her hidden there would be difficult without her cooperation, and he doubted he would get it.

Sunrise was fast approaching but he needed to see her before he sought his rest. He used the skills and lock pick kit Vicki had given him to let himself into Mike's apartment. He entered the dimly lit bedroom and took in the scene before him. Vicki was on her side facing the door and Mike was spooning her from behind. Both were asleep, or in Vicki's case unconscious, but he was fairly certain Mike was sleeping lightly. One of his arms was draped over her waist and the other was stretched out above her head on the pillow. That hand held his gun, showing just how serious he was about protecting her. Moving silently, Henry stepped to the bedside and placed his hand on Vicki's forehead. It was still cool and clammy. He noted that the blood transfusion was just about complete which meant the doctor would be back soon. The only noticeable improvement was that Vicki's face no longer was splattered with dried blood. Someone had clearly cleaned her up and his jealously flared at the thought that Mike might have handled her body. She was clearly dressed in one of his shirts. Shaking his head, he reminded himself that was the least of his concerns. He leaned closer and placed a light kiss on her forehead. Using the speed of his kind, he quickly left the apartment and headed to his home, just missing the first rays of the sun.


	6. Chapter 6

A few hours later Mike woke at the sound of knocking at his front door. He gently extracted himself from Vicki and padded to the door. He found both Mohadevan and Coreen on the other side. Mohadevan looked cool and collected as always in opposition to Coreen's tear stained face. Within seconds Coreen started to ramble and was quickly picking up speed,

"I knocked earlier but you didn't answer. I tried calling and you didn't answer. I was getting really worried and almost called the precinct for help. I didn't know what to do and I-"

Mike interrupted her in order to exert some control over the situation.

"Everything's fine. I was just tired and silenced the ringer on my phone so it didn't disturb anyone. Vicki is in my room and rested comfortably all night long."

"I'm going to reassess her now before heading home to grab some sleep myself. If you'll both stay here I'll be back in just a few minutes," Mohadevan stated.

Mike was happy to see that Mohadevan really did only take a few minutes this time versus the hour of the initial assessment.

"She's looking better. I started another unit of blood and loaded another dose of antibiotics. Her pulse rate is almost normal and her temperature is better. The superficial wounds will take time to heal and she will be incredibly sore when she wakes up. I'd like to talk to her when that happens, so please call me regardless of the time."

Moments later Mike was alone in his living room. Before Mohadevan had left, Coreen had quickly made her way into the bedroom. After one loud gasp, she had calmed herself and he no longer heard any noise. He had a quick breakfast before returning to his room to start getting ready for the day.

"I'd like to go to the precinct for a little bit if you'll stay with her."

"Of course I'll stay with her. If I'd been with her that night this never would have happened. I won't fail her twice."

"Coreen you can't blame yourself. If anyone deserves the blame, it's one Henry Fitzroy. You can't stay with Vicki all the time and she wouldn't let you even if you could."

"I know but . . . look at her. She's a mess. I need her to wake up and start talking to us so I know she's really is to be okay."

"Give her some time. She has a lot of healing yet to do. The longer she stays the way she is, the shorter the length of time we'll have to deal with her during the recovery period."

The first glimpse of a smile crossed Coreen's face as she replied, "Yeah, she's going to be a great patient."


	7. Chapter 7

Vicki slowly became aware of her surroundings. She was comfortably warm, surrounded by Mike's scent, and desperately in need of a bathroom. She opened her eyes but could only distinguish light and dark patches.

"Mike?"

She was startled by the hoarse sound of her voice. It sounded like she had a terrible case of laryngitis. She moved to grasp her throat with her hand but pain radiated through her.

"Vicki? Did you call me?"

Vicki nodded her head slightly and quickly regretted that movement as well. What had happened? She couldn't remember ever feeling so sore or so drained of energy.

"It's good to see you awake. Here's a pair of your glasses that Coreen brought over earlier today."

The glasses settled on her nose but didn't help her vision all that much. She saw Mike's arm reach over her head and a series of clicks could be heard as the room brightened. That helped her vision quite a bit. She could see that she was in Mike's bedroom. Mike's bedroom? How the heck had this happened? She also saw an IV pole next to the bed holding a bag of clear liquid. Her eyes tracked their way down the line to her forearm where the needle was inserted.

"Coreen's going to be disappointed that she missed you waking up. She was with you most of the day while I was down at the station. She'll be back tomorrow and will probably call several times tonight to check on you. She's quite the worrier"

"What happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me. I found you curled up in my closet looking like you'd gone a couple rounds with a professional boxer," Mike responded.

She watched as he settled in the chair next to the bed. Seconds later she was jerking away as he reached for her forehead.

"I'm fine, except for a desperate need to use the facilities. If you'll excuse me."

Vicki moved to slide her legs off the bed and Mike tried to help her. Several curse words were whispered under her breath as she managed to get her feet on the floor and obtain an upright, seated position on the side of the bed. She was already sweating and knew there was more strength needed to accomplish her goal. She pushed herself upwards and felt her legs shaking as they bore her full weight. Mike reached under her forearms to steady her as her forehead fell onto his chest.

"Vicki let me help you. You're hurt and you've been unconscious for a day."

"I can do it myself. I don't need your help."

A sarcastic voice came from the entrance to the bedroom,

"That's right. Victoria Nelson never needs any help. God forbid she be like a normal mortal who needs time to heal."

She didn't even get a chance to respond before she was gently lifted into Henry's arms. He cradled her with one arm while unhooking the IV bag from the pole and placing it on her chest. She was already so weary. She let her head rest on his chest as he carried her to the bathroom. He sat her on the toilet seat and left, closing the door behind him. While she answered nature's call, she could hear raised voices outside the door. Something about tracking someone down, interspersed with threats from one to the other. She wanted to storm out there and demand that they stop fighting but just wasn't up to it. Sometimes it felt to her like she was refereeing two squabbling children.

After washing her hands, she returned to her perch on the toilet seat frustrated by her body's reluctance to follow her commands. She leaned her head forward on the palms of her hands and quickly blinked back the tears that came to the surface. She didn't like feeling helpless and feared that once her vision was gone, she would feel like this all the time.

There was a gentle knock on the door before it opened slightly,

"Can I come in?"

"Yes, Henry. Come in."

He didn't ask why she was just sitting there. She looked so delicate and forlorn in the oversized flannel shirt she was wearing. He knew she didn't have the strength to get back to the bed. Rather than ask if he could help her back, he opted for the same strategy as before and scooped her up into his arms. It was a quick walk back to the bed and she found herself being tucked in like a child. That gave her mixed feelings. Of course, when it came to both Henry and Mike, her feelings were often mixed.

Authors Note: Thanks for all of the great reviews. You all keep me writing.


	8. Chapter 8

Her dreams were filled with swirling images that made no sense and memories of pain. Memories of excruciating pain. In her dream, she kept calling out for Henry, and later for Mike, but no one came. She was all alone as she was always alone.

Vicki jerked awake and was quickly reminded of her physical condition. She still felt lousy. Even breathing ached and caused pain to ripple into her limbs. It was times like this when the quick healing associated with being a vampire would be appreciated. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she began working on getting herself seated on the edge of the bed. She noticed the IV was gone, so that was progress. She got to her feet and started shuffling her way towards the bathroom. After she had used the facilities, she realized she hadn't looked at herself in the mirror the night before. Sneaking a quick look she decided she had been better off not knowing.

The growling of her stomach motivated her to head towards the kitchen. She opened the bedroom door and was greeted by the sight of Coreen sleeping on the living room couch.

"She must be my babysitter for the day. Of course it looks like the day is half over," she thought to herself as she looked towards the window.

It took what seemed like an incredible amount of time to make a simple bowl of cereal. She quietly made her way back to the bedroom with her meal and closed the bedroom door behind her. Gingerly she crawled back into bed with her breakfast and leaned back against the propped up pillows. Her jaw was sore but she managed to slowly work her way through the cereal and before long felt pleasantly full. Putting the bowl aside she snuggled back under the covers and felt herself drifting off to sleep.

Several hours later she again began to be plagued by nightmares. She recognized the same images as before but couldn't process them or understand what she was seeing. All she could sense was fear and that was an emotion she wasn't comfortable experiencing once, let alone a second time in dream format. From a long way off she began to hear her name being called. She mentally latched onto that voice and woke to find Henry sitting next to her, stroking her hair.

"There you are. Looked like your dreams weren't very pleasant so I decided to wake you. I see from the empty bowl that you were up and about earlier. Coreen couldn't believe it when she checked on you and saw that you had eaten. Apparently she didn't believe that you could be that quiet," Henry said.

Henry kept talking for a while of mundane things while she worked towards pulling herself from the dream state she had been in. When she did finally speak she was in the process of pulling herself out of bed.

"I have to be. . . . somewhere."

"Where, Vicki?"

"I don't know but I need to leave."

"No, you're too weak. There's nowhere that you have to be. You need to rest and then you and I can go wherever you need to go, together."

"That's not soon enough. I need to go now. There's something I have to do."

"What?"

"I don't exactly remember, but it's important. Really important."

When Vicki continued trying to push him aside he decided to try to take advantage of her weakness. He allowed his eyes to darken and gave her a subliminal push.

"You're too tired to do anything more tonight. You just want to sleep until I return tomorrow."

For about a minute nothing happened but then the effects became apparent. He watched as she stopped trying to push him aside. Her eyelids began to droop and her hands slid from his shoulders down his arms and into her lap. She leaned forward slightly and rested her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and slid his hands under the back of the shirt she was wearing. Gently he stroked her back avoiding the bandage covering her burn. He could feel the warmth of her breath against his neck and held her until it had smoothed out into the deep, even breathing of sleep. Several minutes passed as he enjoyed the sensation of holding her. He would have never gotten away with this had she been awake. Settling her back in bed he turned to find Mike leaning against the door jamb with his arms crossed.

"I thought your vampire powers didn't work on her, Fitzroy."

"Normally they don't. I wasn't even sure that they would now but she's too tired to really shield herself. I'm pretty much hoping that she won't remember what I just did."

"You better hope she doesn't. If she does, you've just lost whatever trust she had in you."

Henry turned back to her and looked at her for a long time before finally responding.

"I can live with that as long as I know she's safe."

"Speaking of her being safe, is she? You obviously know more than you've shared and we're fast approaching the point where keeping Vicki here will not be an option."


	9. Chapter 9

Henry considered Mike's question for a while. He wasn't sure if he should answer it now or if he should wait until Vicki was awake. That way he could tell the tale only once. He finally decided that Mike needed to know the information in order to protect Vicki properly.

"Hundreds of years ago, the population was much smaller than it is now. There were fewer healthy people around in order to provide blood to meet the needs of the vampires. Vampires never resided close to one another but our territories were much smaller than they are now. There were times when we developed close relationships with the people who were providing our blood needs. In order to protect them from being fed on too frequently, we would mark them. That would warn any other vampire from feeding off of them. Most marks were on the forearm or other easily visible location. However, there was a vampire in the next town who used his signet ring to burn his seal into the lower backs of his people. I always checked the forearms but frequently forgot to investigate alternate sites.

One night I was suffering terribly from thirst and fed upon a pretty, young woman who was in the town square. Later I discovered that she had died from blood loss. Apparently she had serviced Phillipe for several days prior and had been feeling poorly since. My feeding ultimately caused her death. It also turned out she was Phillipe's lover and he was quite fond of her. We had a battle which left us both weakened and near death. It's the only time I've ever fled a territory. I felt badly about the accident but there was nothing I could do to correct the situation. Phillipe and I have had no contact since that time. . . until now. That burn on Vicki's back is a larger version of his seal. He must have discovered that we were close and now thinks to take his revenge."

When Henry stopped speaking, Mike didn't know what to say. He couldn't imagine carrying a grudge for hundreds of years but he also couldn't imagine accidentally killing someone. Ever since Vicki had introduced him to the supernatural, he had been wishing to go back to his former ignorance. Everything was so far outside the realm of his experience that it was difficult to deal with. Murderers he could handle with little problem but was Henry really a murderer? Wasn't Phillipe partially to blame for feeding on her to the point of weakness? Did it really matter what he thought? He quickly decided that protecting Vicki was his only concern. They could debate the morality of the situation later.

"Do you have a picture of Phillipe so that I will at least know who he is if I see him?"

"No, but I can draw you a portrait of what he looked like. However we need to remember that he could have changed his appearance greatly in this many years."

"Fine. There's some paper and pencils in the kitchen. I'll check on Vicki."

Mike returned to his bedroom and watched Vicki as she quietly slept. Her color was much better and her bruises were fading. She was starting to look like herself again and he imagined she was going to want to go home soon. He just needed a way to convince her to stay.

He heard movement behind him and turned to find Henry with a drawing of Phillipe. A thorough perusal proved that he had never seen him before, but he would be making a point of trying to find out who and where he was in this time. First, he needed to get some rest. He somewhat rudely ordered Henry out of his apartment and proceeded through his nightly routine. A short while later he settled onto his living room couch for what was left of another night. He was looking forward to being able to sleep in his own bed and wished it would be with Vicki.

Authors Note: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!!!!!!!


	10. Chapter 10

Vicki awakened pain free for the first time in several days. Movement caused some minor aches but she had dealt with much worse. Picking up her glasses from the night stand, she settled them on her face. The room instantly became clearer. When she stood up she was suddenly struck with an urgent need to be somewhere else. The only problem was that she couldn't exactly remember where that "somewhere" was. In fact, the more she thought about it, she remembered that she had told Henry the same thing just hours before. Obviously, he hadn't been any help at all. She was clearly going to need to handle this herself.

She dressed quickly in one of Mike's sweat suits and then opened the bedroom door only to find that he was sleeping on the couch. She knew she would never make it out of the front door without a fight so she needed an alternative. Digging through his nightstand she found a pen and a piece of paper. Writing a brief note to him, she made it clear that she appreciated all of his help but was well enough to be on her own. Climbing out the bedroom window, she walked down the metal fire stairs until she hit the pavement.

She turned to the left walking down the street in the direction of her office. Along the way she mentally planned out her actions while she watched the sunrise over the horizon.

"First I'll head to the office and find an outfit that fits better than this. I'll check my messages and return the necessary calls. Then I need to figure out where I'm supposed to be."

She would have appreciated someone to mull things over with but Henry would soon be dead to the world. Plus, she wasn't so sure she could trust him after last night. While she wasn't exactly sure what had happened, she knew that he had done something. Mike wouldn't be any help because he would just want her back at his place. He just couldn't admit that there were some things he couldn't protect her from these days.

Entering her office, she grabbed the spare pair of jeans and T-shirt that she kept there for emergencies. She also reached for a rubber band to put her hair up. After 15 minutes in her bathroom she was feeling more like her normal self. Occasionally there would be a twinge in her back but nothing worse than the sensation of a pulled muscle. It didn't take long before she was caught up in her work. The urgent need to be elsewhere had waned dramatically. It was already the middle of the afternoon when the slamming of her office door drew her attention. She quickly found herself staring into a pair of angry eyes. She and Mike had the fight she knew had been brewing. He stormed out about fifteen minutes later telling her that if she wanted to commit suicide, she was definitely going about it correctly. The emotional outburst had really tired her out and she rested her head on the desk for a few minutes. Muttering about the stupidity of certain men in her life, she fell asleep.

She knew she was dreaming but couldn't seem to wake herself up. The scariest thing was that it was like she was having an out of body experience. She was looking at herself hanging by her tied hands. The rope restraining them was apparently tossed over a rafter in what appeared to be an empty, darkened warehouse. Blood was running down from that Vicki's nose and mouth and splashing quietly on the broken glasses on the floor. As she approached she realized that the other Vicki could barely touch the tips of her toes on the floor. Her arms and shoulders were taking the brunt of the weight which would be very painful after a short period of time. At the sound of voices from the back of the warehouse, she began to walk in that direction. There were two men in the back of the building talking to one another over a fire burning in a metal trash can. They looked like two homeless people warming themselves over the flames. She couldn't see their faces or understand what they were saying but one image got through clearly. As they turned in her direction she could see a branding iron glowing orange in the darkness. She began to panic as she remembered the pain that had been inflicted upon her. If only somebody could help her. She didn't want to experience the sensation again.

Vicki snapped awake to the sensation of a hand on her back. In her hurry to escape, she accidentally tipped her chair over and landed hard on the floor. The pain in her back flared to life causing her to cry out.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: I thought I'd add another chapter this week since it practically wrote itself. Happy New Year to all!

Henry had entered the darkened office and quietly closed the door behind him. He could hear one steady heartbeat that was somewhat erratic. Making his way to the inner room, he found Vicki sleeping with her head on the desk. The red indentations on her face from her shirt sleeve indicated she had been sleeping for a while. He crouched down next to her, thankful that his night vision was so keen. He knew that if he turned on the lamp, she would immediately wake. It wasn't often that he got to see her sleeping a natural sleep. She was so unguarded in this state. Without the emotional barriers she tossed up as soon as she was aware of her surroundings. He often wondered how she acted when there was no one around to see her. Did she snuggle up with a blanket and a book, smile at a child's laugh, cuddle with a kitten? Or did she spend that time honing her physical skills, increasing her newfound knowledge of the supernatural, figuring out ways to keep he and Mike exasperated?

He gently tucked the strands of hair that had fallen from her ponytail back behind her ear. He noticed that her heartbeat was increasing and that there were droplets of perspiration dotting her brow. It didn't look like she was sleeping peacefully anymore. Fearing that she was becoming ill again, he began to lightly stroke her back and murmur her name to awaken her. Her response was immediate and worrisome. She jerked back from his touch and in the process knocked herself and the chair she was sitting in onto it's side. She cried out and he moved closer to aid her but she rolled from the chair and crawled into the corner with her back to the wall. The heartbeat that before was erratic was now pounding at a speed that he recognized as terror.

"Vicki, it's just me. I'm sorry that I startled you. I'm going to turn on the light now."

While his vision was great in the dark, a little light made it even better. He saw that Vicki's face was white, she was holding herself stiffly, and her eyes were hazy. She looked like she was tightly strung. Instead of approaching her again, he sat down cross legged where he had been standing. He was only a few feet away, but some of the tension in her shoulders had dissipated when he had lowered himself to her level.

"Are you okay?"

About a minute later she nodded her head. She pulled her knees up and rested her chin on them. Removing her glasses, she rubbed her eyes as if trying to clear her vision. She replaced them and then wrapped her arms around her legs.

"Vicki, are you sure you're okay? You look pretty tired to me."

"Thanks for the compliment. See how good you look after you've been through what I've been through," she said sarcastically.

"You remember things now," he stated with an edge of strain appearing in his own voice.

"Sort of. It's like a dream. Almost as if I read it in a book or made it up in my head. I only seem to remember things when I'm sleeping. Tonight I did see one thing really clearly and remembered feeling like I'd been set on fire. That's when I woke up."

Henry knew that the severe burn on her back would have caused a sensation like that before her mind protected her by allowing her to faint. He knew she had to be aware that there was a bandage on her back but she probably had thought it was covering a scrape or other more mundane injury. He watched as she snaked an arm behind her back and began touching the edges of the gauze.

"I was burned wasn't I? I guess branded is a better word. Just what I need, more body art," she said wearily.

Henry rose to his knees and crawled his way across the floor to sit next to her. Placing his hand under her chin, he turned her face and captured her gaze with his,

"With or without the body art, you are still beautiful."

He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose as he watched a flush appear on her face before she looked away. He released her chin so that she could turn her face away. She was always so uncomfortable with emotion and he often wondered if she would ever get more comfortable.

A sigh escaped her lips, "Do you know what happened to me?"


	12. Chapter 12

Sitting next to her on the floor, Henry told her the same story he had told Mike the day before. It was actually a bit easier telling her, since she continued to look straight ahead rather than at his face, though it was just inches away. Time passed in silence before she responded,

"Phillipe, huh? There's a name you don't hear much anymore."

She turned her face in his direction and struggled to suppress a yawn,

"So where would we find Phillipe? I certainly don't intend to let his treatment of me pass without any response."

"Mike is looking for him now. There really isn't anything for the two of us to do unless you want to wander through the city. If I get close enough, I will sense him, but he'll have to be pretty close. I think a better plan would be to allow you to regain your strength so we can be prepared to deal with him when he _**is**_ located."

Vicki turned away again trying to master her temper before she said something she might really regret. It took a few minutes but she managed to regain most of her composure.

"Henry, I'm fine! You and Mike both want to treat me like a piece of fine china. I've been taking care of myself for a number of years and I've lived to tell the tale."

"Vicki, I can hear the anger underlying your tone. Look at me please. It isn't that I don't think you can take care of yourself. With normal mortal concerns you would probably do better without me, but these aren't normal mortal concerns. You've been attacked by _**my**_ enemy as a message to _**me**_. How do you think that makes me feel? Knowing that in addition to the demon marks, you've now also been tortured because of me?

"I wasn't tortured. I just got banged up a little bit."

He took advantage of their physical closeness and wrapped his arm around her shoulders,

"It was torture, Vicki. Your mind won't even let you remember all of the details yet. It's delivering them to you a little at a time in your dreams. Maybe when you remember the whole event you'll change your mind. Don't form an opinion based on the little you do know."

Vicki turned her face away and stared back at the wall across the room. She was certain that Henry could probably see the tears in her eyes that blurred her already poor vision. She rapidly blinked them away. The reality was that she would much prefer not knowing exactly what had happened to her. She could feel everything hovering just out of her mental reach, and while she was tempted to fight for the information, another instinct warned her to stay away. Lately, she felt like she had taken one hit after another. Giving up her job, ending her romantic relationship with Mike, opening a new business which was struggling financially, learning that the things that go bump in the night really were true, getting marked by a demon, struggling with her feelings toward Mike and Henry, and now the icing on the cake, being attacked not because of what she was doing, but rather who she was involved with.

She realized Henry had started gently stroking her hair probably to distract her from her thoughts. She knew she should pull away and start helping Mike with his search for Phillipe, but she really felt like she needed a time out, even though she would never, ever admit it. When Henry removed her glasses she closed her eyes so she wouldn't be reminded how blurry her vision had become without them.


	13. Chapter 13

Henry was surprised that she hadn't responded to his last comment. It wasn't like her to let anyone else have the last word. In his mind, this was more evidence that she needed a break from the crazy turn her life had taken over the last few months. He removed her glasses and gently put pressure on the other side of her head, with the palm of his hand, so that she would lay it on his shoulder. Once she was securely settled, he closed his eyes. He absorbed her warmth and inhaled the scent that was so uniquely her. Some time passed in silence and he realized she had drifted back to sleep. He had known she was tired but he had expected her to fight the need to sleep to the bitter end. Maybe he was more soothing than he thought.

Henry felt the discomfort from sitting on the wood floor and imagined Vicki would soon begin to stir if they stayed there. Looking around, he saw a rocking chair near the window. He had never noticed it in her office before. There was a pile of books on the floor next to it and he realized the chair was probably normally covered by research material. As light as Vicki was, he had no problem rearranging her so he could stand with her in his arms. After a couple sleepily mumbled comments, she settled back down. He walked smoothly to the rocking chair and sat with her curled in his lap. Reaching over his head he grabbed the plaid blanket tossed over the back of the chair. He unfolded it and tucked it around them both, rocking gently as he looked out the window. He loved the night and loved this moment even more. Looking out at the stars, listening to Vicki's steady heartbeat, and absorbing the trust she had in him. Very few people would be willing to sleep in the presence of one such as he. Especially someone who had been treated so poorly by another of his kind. He rested his lips on the top of her head and murmured the words he had been holding in his heart since he found her missing from her office,

"I am so sorry, Victoria, for all that has happened and for what is yet to come."

He feared that Phillipe's revenge was far from complete. Knowing his luck, and Vicki's penchant for getting into trouble, he had every reason to believe that more trouble was ahead. But that was a concern for later. Getting Vicki restored to health was a more immediate need. She needed rest in order for her body to heal and healthy food to nourish it. The usual take-out she inhaled did not qualify in his mind as food. Maybe with Coreen's help he could try to provide some healthy foods she would eat.

He became aware of another heartbeat entering the office and knew that Mike had arrived. He knew of the fight they had earlier in the day. Mike had shared the information via phone message with a subtle hint that perhaps Vicki would be more willing to listen to Henry's advice. Personally he thought Mike overestimated his charm. Clearly Vicki enjoyed them both, trusted them both, but was focused on remaining her own person and that meant following her own code. She might listen to other people's input but in the end her decisions were solely hers.

As Mike entered the inner room of the office, Henry watched as the words he had planned to say died on his lips. His look of irritation was replaced briefly by one of longing as he saw where Vicki was sleeping. Quickly it was wiped away to be replaced by the usual neutral expression he tried to wear when facing Vicki.

"How is she?" Mike inquired.

"Not as good as she wants us to think. Listening to her, you would hardly believe that she was badly injured just days ago. She wants to go on the hunt to make sure Phillipe pays for what he did to her." Henry responded softly, "She's starting to remember what happened through her dreams so what sleep she is getting isn't always restful. Earlier tonight I startled her from sleep and she retreated into the corner rather than fighting what I think she perceived as an attack."

Based on Mike's years of dealing with her, he knew that was out of character. Vicki was always one to fight back even against overwhelming odds. He crouched near the rocking chair to look at her face. The bruises were fading and the swelling had gone down considerably but he couldn't shake the feeling that more trouble was ahead. He was certain Henry felt the same.

"I'm worried about her. I don't know if she escaped or if she was let go. Either way I'm worried about what Phillipe's next move is going to be. It's like this is a game and we're all just pieces on the board."

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. I appreciate you taking the time to let me know you are following the story. In addition to finishing this one off, I've started another one that I actually like even better. :)


	14. Chapter 14

Authors Note: Hopefully this will make sense. I've been sick this week so my mind isn't functioning at 100. Hopefully, I'll be back in top form by next week.

Henry confessed to Mike that he continued to have his own fears about Vicki's place in Phillipe's plan. The two of them spoke for awhile before he felt warm moisture dripping on his hand and scented blood. He tried to rearrange his position to look down but he would need to disturb Vicki to see.

"Mike, can you look at Vicki for me?"

Mike returned his attention to Vicki's face and noticed two things simultaneously. First, there were tears seeping from underneath her eyelashes and slowly snaking their way down her face. The second, her nose had started to bleed.

"Henry, I think you need to put her down somewhere. Her nose is bleeding and she's crying."

Henry was really surprised. There had been no increase in her heart rate and no other sign that she was in distress. He stood from the rocking chair with her in his arms, letting the blanket fall to the floor.

"Can you go fold out the sofa bed in the other room? I think she'd be more comfortable with the extra space rather than just napping on the sofa itself like she usually does."

Mike quickly moved to get everything arranged. In the meantime, Henry rearranged her weight into one arm and grabbed a tissue. Once he blotted the tears and the blood away, he noted there was no more forthcoming. It was one more incident that increased his concerns. He joined Mike in the other room and they got her settled into bed. Turning on a low light in case she awoke disoriented, they shut the door behind them. It was time for them to discuss what information they had each been able to gather.

Vicki came to awareness suddenly. It was cold, damp, dark and quiet. Her vision was blurry and she touched her face to rearrange her glasses only to find that they were missing. She was in the same T-shirt and jeans from earlier in the day. Realizing this was another one of the realistic dreams she had been having, she concentrated on waking up. When she opened her eyes, she was in the same place as before. She pinched herself hard and almost yelped in pain. Maybe she wasn't asleep?

"So, you have finally arrived," a voice said from just outside of her visual range. "I've called you for a few nights now with no success. I guess the rumors of you having a resistant mind are true."

The voice triggered momentary panic as the events of several nights before became clear. She had been working late in her office when she believed Henry had arrived. She had turned her back towards the door to pick up the research material she had wanted him to review. Before she had turned back around, there was a sudden pain in the back of her head and a sense of time passing. By the time she was coherent she had found herself in a dark warehouse. Once she was awake the beatings had begun. There had been threat of sexual violence but fortunately that had never occurred. The burn placed on her back was really the worst of it in her opinion. She had asked what the two men wanted but not a single question had been asked of her. The sun had started to rise by the time they seemed to have tired of her. During the time she was alone, she had the used the lubrication of her blood to slip her hands loose of the ropes that that tied them. Now somehow she was back where it had started and had no recollection of getting there.


	15. Chapter 15

Pushing all fear and panic aside, Vicki geared herself up for the fight of her life. She wasn't going to be used as a pawn to trap Henry and she certainly wasn't going to lead Mike into danger either. Adopting a cocky stance she walked parallel to the blurb of the person in front of her.

"So, you must be Phillipe. Henry led me to believe that you could be a problem. Obviously you must not be as strong as he thought if you've had so much difficulty getting my attention."

The vampire she faced didn't move but she could feel the tension rising in the air.

"He wasn't wrong. You can stop trying to provoke me, I'm not going to let you tempt me into ending your life now. Henry has to be in place before that happens. He took from me and now I will take from him."

"Henry told me the story of your loss. You must know that I'm not his lover. We work together and even then we don't always get along."

"I don't need his lover. I need the one person he cares more about than any other and **that** is where you come in. You may not be lovers yet, but that is the path you are taking. Having that option taken away from him will make this all the more painful."

Vicki felt the sudden circulation of air behind her and dropped low as she spun around. The fist that was flying in her direction missed her by a mile as she danced away. She couldn't let herself get knocked unconscious again. Taking a deep breath and opening her senses as much as possible, she concentrated her full attention on the figure in front of her. The marks on her wrists began to tingle. It was unusual because they only became pleasantly warm rather than the painful burn that they usually manifested. Her vision cleared completely and all of her senses were heightened.

She and Phillipe engaged in nothing short of a outright battle. In the back of her mind, she realized that she was moving faster than she should be and holding her own against a creature that should have easily defeated her. In fact, as the minutes passed she realized she was driving Phillipe back. They were approaching the dock behind the warehouse and Vicki struck out with a kick that nailed him in the center of his chest. He disappeared over the edge but there was no splash. Leaning out as far as she could, she looked around for signs of him. She didn't see anything except the murky black waters lapping up against the dock.

Author's Note: Vicki is not cooperating with this story anymore which is why the chapter is so short. I would expect this to wrap up in the next chapter or two if she starts to cooperate.


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to update. I was having a hard time getting this final chapter written. Next time I'm going to write a whole story beforehand so that I can just chop it up into chapters. :)

Turning away from the dock she walked back towards the warehouse. With every step she took, her vision returned to it's normal fuzziness. It was interesting how her vision had become so sharp during the fight. Henry would warn her that the demon marks had caused it which, according to him, automatically made it a bad thing. She agreed that the demon marks themselves were a bad thing. But she couldn't bring herself to say that everything they caused was bad.

She was almost to the warehouse when she heard movement approaching from behind. Before she could even turn around she was knocked face first to the ground. The sound of gun shots from in front of her caused her to quickly cover her head. It seemed as if she were now being attacked on two fronts. A heavy weight landed on her back, knocking the wind out of her, as large hands circled her neck and began to squeeze. She tried to free herself and, over the sound of the blood rushing in her head, could hear other people trying to help her. Just as her vision had turned black with blue speckles the pressure on her neck released itself and she felt the warmth of blood soak into the shirt on her back. She took several deep breaths trying to restore much needed oxygen to her own blood.

"Vicki, can you hear me?"

She slightly raised herself from the ground and nodded as Henry's face floated into her visual range. She watched as he reached over her and rolled the body off of her. Turning to her side, she looked into the face of the now dead Phillipe. She imagined in just an hour, his body would be nothing but ash. The only thing left to haunt her would be her memories.

"Thanks," she whispered raspily to Henry.

"You're welcome though at the time I wasn't sure how happy you would be to see us. You fought us to get away from your office."

"Us? Huh?"

She saw Mike walking towards her with a distinct limp and a bruised face. His gun was resting in his hand hanging loosely down by his leg. That answered her question about "us" but still didn't cover the "huh" portion.

Henry took the time to fill her in. She apparently had left her sofa bed and wandered out into the main part of the office where he and Mike had been brainstorming. When she hadn't responded to any of their concerned inquiries, they had both approached her. Mike had been knocked out cold by her unexpected attack and when Henry tried to stop her, she had stabbed him in the gut. While not deadly, the injury had been painful and it had been awhile before he could move enough to rouse Mike. They had tracked her to the area just in time to see her walking away from the dock.

Now that Vicki was standing on her own two feet she was able to catalog the aches and pains throughout her body. All she really wanted was to go back to bed and forget everything that had happened. She looked at both the men before her and felt her heart clench. They both meant so much to her and yet someday she knew she would have to choose one over the other. But that was a matter for another day. For today she would be grateful that they all had survived. Touching each of them lightly on the shoulder encouraged them to start walking with her away from the dock,

"Let's go home. We've won this time."


End file.
